Later this month, President Obama’s health care summit will aim to highlight input from both Democrats and Republicans. This last ditch effort for bipartisanship appears encouraging on the surface, but many predict it will mean little more than theatrics and sound bites, rather than actual inclusion for the minority in the legislative process.

A firm Republican commitment to achieving affordable coverage for all Americans in annual stages, starting now, in return for a WH agreement to scale the current bills way back.

A package of insurance reforms, such as extending HIPAA, designed to deal with pre-existing conditions.

An agreement to provide states funding to address high-risk and chronically ill Americans through high-risk pools. In addition, giving states legislative waivers for left or right ideas to expand coverage — eg through the bipartisan Baldwin-Price House bill.

An overhaul of the tax treatment of private health coverage to make it efficient and to provide cost-reducing incentives — limiting the tax exclusion by income to finance better tax relief for those who need it to afford coverage.

An effective and bipartisan health care bill is obtainable, but to achieve this, Congress and the President must seek it in a more sincere and productive manner. The President’s summit on health care is the wrong approach.

Conservatives need to say "Not so fast…" to Republican incumbents working on this issue. Republicans had their turn, and didn't do anything. At this point, if someone wants my vote, they had better propose 3 things FIRST, before trying to design any government-paid health benefits.

1. Remove every dime of money spent on illegal aliens, who are law-breakers, and yeah, it's sad, but I pay taxes and obey the law and can't get treated because I can't afford it and lost my private insurance. Too bad, CITIZENS FIRST. Then, if there is money left over fine. (there won't be)

2. TORT reform, and not just jury settlements, but lawyers, their advertising, and their percentages for just signing up clients and never seeing the inside of a courtroom – mass tort settlements. No lawyer should drum up hundreds or thousands of "victims" and then waltz out the door of the plaintiff's conference room with multi-millions. I'm sorry, but Erin Brochavitch and Hollywood helped create this monster. It's costing all of us 30% or more on every dollar we spend.

3. Stricter requirements on Insurance Companies – no more putting off doing your job until someone gets sick and files a claim. Make insurance companies do the underwriting UP FRONT (like they used to do). If they sell the policy, then they have to cover ANY claim I have. If they didn't find a pre-existing before they took my money and let me THINK I was covered, TOO BAD. They STILL have to pay. What they are doing now is OBSCENE.

152.“At the end of the day, regardless of what happens at this health care sham summit, it’s not going to change the situation one iota. If the Democrats want this bill to pass, they’re going to have to spend weeks ramming it through reconciliation in the teeth of public outrage and fierce Republican opposition. It would be an uphill battle for them and in the end, even if they won, it would probably turn into a pyrrhic victory that would have the potential to cost them the House and Senate in 2010.”

Yeah, it would be ugly and the Democrats/left would pay a short term political price….

But the radical left doesnt care!

They are thinking long term, this so-called “HC Reform” is NOT about medical care, health insurance, or the cost of it!

Its about raw political power for the left – its the middle class dependecy/entitlement that they have been working decades for!

They can see the politcal history of nations like the UK, Canada, etc as to how “free” govt run HC has turned the middle class into lifetime supporters of the nanny state as they are now dependent on the government for an essential of life – people become to affair to vote to abolish it!

Add to this a million or so new SEIU-govt employees that will be hired in the massive govt expansion of new 100 agencies to run/ration HC!

Obama and the left know that once the Federal Govt takes over HC their is NO GOING BACK!

This is why they will never give up on this HC takeover – its about raw political power and control.

These Obamaites are not “triangulating” Clintonites or even well-mean but misguided liberal democrats – the Obamaites are hard core radical leftist who are hell-bent on turning this nation into a socialist state!

We are playing a high-stakes “winner take all” game with these radicals for the future survival of our nation as a Consititutional Republic….

@Gloria on vacation. So true re tort reform need. The medical liability system is screaming for reform and physicians are screaming for relief. I've been dragged into the arena many times. I was innocent in all cases and dismissed every time. Still, I had to endure the anxiety, expense, etc. Of course, this affects my doctor-pt relationships. See http://www.MDWhistleblower.blogspot.com under Legal Quality.

I am trying to find the words in any of these posts and the original diary that would suggest, at the minimum, there is an opportunity for those that we send to represent all the people to have an occassion for a civilized dialogue at this forum ("the summit) on healthcare. It would appear to me that because a republican didn't initiate the forum for discussion, it becomes "bad" and "we as republicians" need to dig our heels in and charge that this is another "venture to ram something at us"… can we not step back and be gracious for once? Accept an invitation for conversation on the topic without pre-established rhetoric that this dicussion "won't work"… our ancestoral leaders are turning over in their graves with embarrasment at the immaturity on both sides of the aisle when this is the message we send forth everytime. Let's grow up and realize there will be unintended consequences of every peice of legislation, just as there always is, but I for one, want this finger pointing, preconceived bulling stance on every issue to stop… please vow to, at the minimum, discuss as rationale, educated, and compassionate human beings and get something done on healthcare.

Pete, I couldn't agree more! It's government hypocrisy and paralysis at it's worst. The President is much more pragmatic than people give him credit for. Instead of finding reasons why this won't work, how about coming to the table and engaging in serious discussion. This needs to happen on both sides of the aisle. There's plenty of common ground in the middle. Find some compromise, and get it done.

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